On-site pipe cutting is ordinarily accomplished by means of the pipe-cutting device of the type which has a rotary knife edge and opposed rollers mounted on a screw such that as the screw is progressively tightened and the handle of the device orbits the pipe, the rotary knife edge cuts through the pipe in short order. The pipe, or at least copper pipe, can also be cut with shears or the like but, of course, this pinches the end and it can no longer be connected easily to another pipe or to a pipe junction.
The rotary pipe cutter mentioned above makes a nice cut but is limited in that first of all if the pipe is cut after it has been installed there must be clearance in all directions around the portion to be cut for the handle of the cutter to pass, and this is not always the case. Additionally, it is sometimes desirable to cut the pipe half of the way through from one side, or put a circumferential channel or score mark on the pipe in a more precise fashion than that available with the conventional rotary cutter.
In order to achieve either of these, a band saw with a suitable jig, or other shop equipment could be used, but there is a need for an on-site device easily used by the workman at the jobsite to accomplish the same end.
To meet the needs as stated above a tool is provided utilizing a hand-held housing with a motor inside which drives a circular saw blade adjacent a coaxial adjustable depth gauge dial having a variety of notches in the circumference to limit the insertion of a pipe. The depth gauge dial is located through a thumb notch in the housing to select the notch that will appropriately permit the saw blade to cut halfway or all the way through, or simply put a shallow channel around the circumference of the pipe, as desired.
The invention is provided in two slight variations in which the rotary saw blade rotates coaxially with, and on an axle that is orthogonal to, the motor shaft, respectively. Additionally, there is provided a rotary reamer in the form of an abrasive cone mounted on one end of the motor shaft and having an adjustable collar selectively extensible to protect or expose the reamer in various degrees.